Hunkin, Yvonne
1924-2010

Born on 22 June 1924 in Guernsey, Channel Islands, into a Methodist family' she was evacuated to England when the Germans occupied the Islands in 1940. During the war she worked as a nursery nurse and in 1946 was accepted by the Wesley Deaconess Order for training and was ordained in 1951. She was stationed at Archway Central Hall, London, Hull (Thornton St. Georges), Haggerston, London and Bristol Central Hall. Then from l963 to 1972 she was back in Guernsey, caring for her mother and doing welfare work for the Council of Churches.

On return to England she was stationed in Handsworth, Birmingham, doing Community Relations work based at Villa Road church. In 1977 she became Associate Warden of the Order when it and the Church were trying to re-think the diaconal calling and role following the opening of the presbyteral ministry to women in 1973. After 1977 recruitment to the Order ceased until the way ahead could be clarified. She became the first Deaconess Warden in 1980, while the Order was still seeking to make the best use of, and care for, its continuing members, and retired in l984. She died at Eastbourne on 27 March 2010.

Sources
  • E. Dorothy Graham, Saved to Serve: the Story of the Wesley Deaconess Order 1880-1978 (2002) pp.47-48